Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women

Eighty-eighth session

Summary record of the 2062nd meeting

Held at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, on Tuesday, 14 May 2024, at 3 p.m.

Chair:Ms. Peláez Narváez

Contents

Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 18 of the Convention (continued)

Ninth periodic report of the Republic of Korea (continued)

The meeting was called to order at 3 p.m.

Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 18 of the Convention (continued)

Ninth periodic report of the Republic of Korea (continued) (CEDAW/C/KOR/9; CEDAW/C/KOR/Q/9; CEDAW/C/KOR/RQ/9)

At the invitation of the Chair, the delegation of the Republic of Korea joined the meeting.

A representative of the Republic of Korea said that the Government was preparing and developing young professionals specializing in trade and deploying them to different regions around the world. A specific chapter on women had recently been included in the draft review of the free trade agreement between the Republic of Korea and Chile that was currently being negotiated. In that connection, emphasis had been placed on the importance of bilateral cooperation in promoting women’s rights through trade. The Government had begun implementing the First Basic Plan for the Promotion of Women’s Business Activities and had launched a new project to support businesses owned by women, for example by providing expert training and consultancy services to businesses wishing to expand overseas. Gender-specific impact assessments of the Environmental Health Action Plan had been conducted to ensure that energy and climate change policies did not have an adverse effect on women’s and girls’ health and well-being.

A representative of the Republic of Korea said that legislative measures would need to be taken to establish a legal requirement to ensure gender parity in candidate lists for local elections. In that connection, numerous bills proposing amendments to the Public Official Election Act had been drafted. Once the Act had been amended, women’s participation in politics was expected to increase. In the local elections held in 2022, the number of women elected to an official post had been higher than in the previous election for all posts except those of head of local government. In the most recent general elections, held in April 2024, women had accounted for 14 per cent of elected lawmakers, which was 3 percentage points higher than the figure for the previous general elections.

A representative of the Republic of Korea said that steps were being taken to mainstream the gender perspective in development cooperation policies in order to contribute to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in developing countries, particularly as they related to gender equality. The Government was providing financial support to developing countries and sharing experiences with them in order to assist with capacity-building initiatives. The Korea International Cooperation Agency was working to incorporate the gender perspective in its overseas development assistance projects by assigning gender experts to take part in project reviews. The Government was strengthening international cooperation on gender equality by collaborating with the development centre of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and participating in the Organisation’s Network on Gender Equality.

A representative of the Republic of Korea said that efforts to respond to domestic violence included measures to restore peace and stability in affected families as well as measures to protect victims’ human rights. The police referred all cases that fell under the Act on Punishment of Domestic Violence to public prosecutors, who conducted investigations and took firm action against perpetrators, taking into account the characteristics of each case. In certain cases, the charges brought against a perpetrator were suspended if he or she agreed to undergo counselling.

A representative of the Republic of Korea said that, in June 2022, the digital sex crime task force had concluded its investigations into ways of combating digital sex crimes. Many of its 11 recommendations had led to the drafting of bills that were currently being discussed in the National Assembly. A number of ministries, the police force and the prosecution service, among other bodies, had established a consultative agency to tackle the problem of digital sex crime.

Foreign nationals who married nationals of the Republic of Korea could benefit from a speedy naturalization process. If a marriage ended in divorce or the death of the spouse who had citizenship, the rules for the naturalization of the foreigner remained the same. From2023 on, applications for naturalization based on marriage had been rejected in around 3,500 cases.

In April 2024, 54 foreign women with G-1-11 visas, which were granted to victims of certain offences, had been living in the Republic of Korea. From 2003 on, 1,440 persons had been granted E-6-2 visas, which were issued to persons employed in the entertainment industry. In order for an E-6-2 visa to be issued, the applicant was required to submit a signed employment contract and a visa application form and undergo an assessment by the national authorities and the relevant overseas embassy or consulate.

Since September 2016, it had been mandatory for a document confirming the existence of a performance venue to be submitted as part of the evaluation process for E-6-2 visas. It was now mandatory for prospective employers of foreign workers to conduct investigations to determine whether the workers were at risk of becoming victims of trafficking in persons or other human rights violations. Assessments carried out by the country’s embassies or consulates overseas were now required to include interviews with applicants to verify the authenticity of the information provided and to identify any possible risks of human rights violations.

A representative of the Republic of Korea said that, under the Fourth Plan for Fostering and Supporting Women Scientists and Technicians, the Government was providing mentoring for women students of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM subjects) and was implementing programmes to encourage more women and girls to study those subjects. As a result, the number of women engineering graduates who had found jobs as engineers had increased between 2013 and 2023.

The review and implementation of the Framework Act on Education established the legal foundations for the systematic inclusion of gender equality, sex education, gender awareness and the prevention of sexual violence in the curricula of all schools. The purpose of gender equality education was to develop mature citizens who did not hold discriminatory attitudes towards others and who showed respect for diversity and were aware of the problems of discrimination and inequality.

A representative of the Republic of Korea said that separate systems and centres had been established to support victims of sexual violence and domestic violence, migrant women and women with disabilities. Specialized shelters and support facilities provided legal, financial and other forms of assistance to particular groups. The Government was mandating the establishment of human rights centres in every school to support victims of sexual violence, to prevent secondary victimization and to refer victims to support services. Under the regulations in force, teachers who committed acts of sexual assault in primary or secondary schools were subject to prohibition from the teaching profession or to restrictions on their professional advancement.

A representative of the Republic of Korea said that, in 2022, women had accounted for around 11 per cent of university principals and deans, 19 per cent of professors, 33percent of associate professors and 39 per cent of assistant professors.

A representative of the Republic of Korea said that the gender wage gap was caused by occupational segregation and by the fact that women were more likely than men to take career breaks or be in irregular employment. In order to address the problem, the Government was expanding the support provided to working women to make it easier for them to remain in employment throughout their working lives. For example, working hours had been reduced for pregnant women, and leave was granted to women undergoing fertility treatment and for women who had recently given birth or had had a miscarriage or a stillbirth. Women with young children could benefit from reduced working hours and flexible working arrangements.

Women’s re-employment centres arranged internships and provided job placement assistance and other tailored forms of support to facilitate the return to quality employment for women who had taken career breaks. The Government promoted entrepreneurship among women and supported women’s participation in the economy, including in the fields of digital technology and science. Public and private entities were encouraged to meet employment targets relating to gender. Since 2020, employers had been required to submit data on the salaries of male and female employees so that unreasonable gender wage gaps could be identified.

A representative of the Republic of Korea said that the Act on the Protection of Fixed-Term and Part-Time Workers prohibited discrimination against part-time workers and established that their working conditions should be set out in writing. Under the Act, part‑time workers must not be required to work overtime without their consent, must be paid for overtime and must not work more than 12 hours of overtime per week. In February 2024, plans had been put in place to address long working hours, improve the flexibility of working conditions and promote employees’ right to health.

A representative of the Republic of Korea said that the Government had established targeted programmes to help job seekers to find employment. Specialist job centres had been set up to provide career advice and arrange vocational training and internships for persons who had recently completed their education. Childcare programmes were being expanded to make it easier for women with young children to remain in employment and steps were taken to make it easier for employers to hire temporary staff to cover for women on maternity leave.

Comprehensive support services had been established for women seeking to re-enter the workforce after taking a career break, including group counselling to prepare them for employment and skills development programmes. Enhanced childcare provision and flexible working arrangements were being introduced to make it easier for women to remain in work when they were pregnant and after they had given birth. As a result of the Government’s efforts, the employment rate had increased in recent years.

Ms. d e Silva de Alwis said that she wished to know what educational programmes were being developed to prevent girls and young women from being targeted by deepfake videos, revenge pornography and other digital forms of sexual violence. She wondered what was being done to encourage technology companies to combat gender-based harm and biases. In view of the backlash against feminism, which was threatening to reverse prior gains and fuel anti-feminist hate speech online, she would be interested to know how educational institutions could address the root causes of the gender wars and promote alternative discourses on gender equality, and the ways in which the rights of all persons could be reconciled.

Ms. González Ferrer said that she wished to know what was being done to protect the sexual and reproductive rights of women with disabilities and whether a study to assess their current level of access to those rights had been or would be conducted. She wondered whether any plans were in place to make assisted reproductive technology, including in vitro fertilization, available to single women.

In view of the Constitutional Court’s ruling that treating abortion as an offence was unconstitutional, it would be interesting to know the status of the draft amendments to the Criminal Act and the Mother and Child Health Act and whether those amendments were likely to be adopted. The delegation might describe any steps taken to ensure that abortions were safe and covered by national health insurance and that women seeking abortions had access to appropriate medical services and accurate information on the procedures that they should follow. The delegation might also provide information on any progress made towards approving the use of the abortion pill. She wished to know whether the medical subsidy programme for infertile couples and the medical assistance programme for teenage pregnancy and childbirth were effectively implemented, for example in rural areas, and whether any obstacles to their implementation had been identified.

The Committee had heard that transgender persons seeking legal recognition of their gender were subjected to discriminatory requirements, including being forced to undergo sterilization or genital reconstructive surgery. Gender dysphoria was still considered to be a mental health disorder, despite the fact that it was no longer classified as such by the World Health Organization. In view of that situation, she wondered how the Government planned to address the discrimination faced by transgender persons, particularly in relation to the invasive requirements for legal gender recognition set out in the guidelines of the Supreme Court, and whether any plans were in place to revise those guidelines to ensure greater respect for the rights of transgender persons.

Ms. Bethel said that she wished to know what was being done to develop a more equitable and sustainable care economy that would promote women’s social and economic empowerment. She wondered whether any evidence-based policies on the development of integrated care systems had been established and, if so, whether they were accompanied by campaigns to promote the redistribution of care work between women and men and to monetize women’s unpaid care work.

A representative of the Republic of Korea saidthat the Government had improved methods for investigating offences such as online grooming and sexual exploitation against young people, the statute of limitation for such offences had been abolishedand age-appropriate awareness-raising regarding online sexual exploitation had been carried out among young people. The Korea Communications Commissionwas working to adapt the legislation on information and communication technology networks and monitored the legal compliance of network operators. Operators were required to delete illegally filmed materials, and the fines applicable for legal breaches by technological companies had increased.Service providers were required to take preventive steps against online sexual exploitation and to submit reports to the Commission.

A representative of the Republic of Korea saidthat the Framework Act on Gender Equality and the interministerial Basic Plan for Gender Equality Policies were in place to tackle anti-feminist sentiment. The Ministry of Education provided teachers with training and learning materials to strengthen education on gender equality, and regional centres run by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family created a culture of understanding between men and women through youth outreach on topics such as housing and employment and by hosting policy monitoring groups.

A representative of the Republic of Korea said that the national health insurance system guaranteed medical services to all persons, regardless of age or income, and provided pregnant women with medical care, regular check-ups and vouchers for medical expenses during pregnancy and childbirth. Neither the Mother and Child Health Act nor the Bioethics and Safety Act restricted the access of single persons to reproductive services such as in vitro fertilization, but negative social and cultural perceptions surrounding the pregnancy of those persons persisted. Article 14 of the Mother and Child Health Act allowed for induced abortion in some cases. Permission for pharmaceutical companies to supply abortion pills had been granted, and such pills would become available once the corresponding documentation had been prepared.

The Special Act on Support for Crisis Pregnancy, Protective Childbirth and Child Protection (the Anonymous Childbirth Act) required the State and local governments to prioritize support to women in crisis pregnancies; to provide comprehensive information, counselling, service linkages and case management for families with children; and to ensure economic and health-care support for pregnant women. The Act envisaged centres to provide women in crisis pregnancies with pre- and post-natal counselling and referral to national and local support systems for pregnancy, childbirth and parenting. Anonymous childbirth was optional for pregnant women who were unable to care for their children; the Committee on the Rights of the Child had urged States to promote anonymous birth as an alternative to baby boxes, as it safeguarded the rights to health and life of the woman and child and the children’s right to know their origin.

A representative of the Republic of Korea said that, in the absence of specific legislation, courts authorized gender changes based on the comprehensive consideration of relevant biological, mental and social factors, and that the guidelines for the authorization of a change of gender offered specific factors to be considered only as suggestions, not as essential requirements.

A representative of the Republic of Korea said that, following an interministerial meeting in 2021 to address the effect of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on women’s employment, the number of women in public and private sector employment had increased, employment and entrepreneurial support for women’s return to the labour market had been strengthened and initiatives to narrow the gender gap had been undertaken. In 2023, the employment rate of women between 15 and 64 years of age had been at its highest since records had begun and the employment rate of women between 30 and 39 years of age, who were most susceptible to career interruptions, had significantly improved.

A representative of the Republic of Korea said that there was a 91 per cent satisfaction rate for State childcare support, which was now provided to an increased number of households. During the COVID-19 pandemic, government support had expanded to ease the increased burden of childcare owing to school closures, and increased childcare services for medical workers had been made available. Companies that introduced family-friendly measures, such as flexible working times, had received certification and incentives, including loans at preferential rates and health-care benefits for employees.

The Government collaborated with other countries to implement equal parenting initiatives. Vulnerable families, including single-parent families, had access to child support, rent-to-buy housing and customized case management. The Single-Parent Family Support Act provided child support for single-parent families with children under 18 years of age and additional support for those with children under 5 years of age.

A representative of the Republic of Korea said that amendments to the Act on the Promotion of Economic Activities and Prevention of Career Interruption of Women (Women’s Economic Activity Act) had expanded the Act’s policy targets to include working women as well as those whose careers had been interrupted. The aim was to promote the economic activities of women more fundamentally. Companies received increased support when hiring graduates of the 159 women’s re-employment centres in the country, and those centres now provided customized services based on the life stages of beneficiaries. Measures to prevent career interruption had been strengthened, new vocational training programmes had been introduced and programmes intended to support women aged between 30 and 49 years had been expanded. An impact assessment of the First Basic Plan for Promotion of Economic Activities of Career-Interrupted Women would be published in 2025.

A representative of the Republic of Korea said that the Basic Plan on Low Fertility and Aging Society provided for directives to be issued regarding care for older persons. Outreach and dementia-related support programmes were already in place, and policies on basic pensions, long-term care insurance for older persons, home health care and dementia management infrastructure had been introduced to ease the burden of care for older persons. Women were often responsible for providing such care.

Ms. Bethel said that she wished to know the estimated value of unpaid care work in the country in terms of gross domestic product. Could that work be monetized? She wondered whether the effectiveness of women’s re-employment centres and the challenges that women faced had been assessed and whether the job stabilization fund had increased the social and economic empowerment of women.

Ms. González Ferrer said that she wished to clarify whether decisions taken when women with intellectual disabilities underwent pregnancy and childbirth were made by legal guardians or by the women themselves. She wondered what steps would be taken to address the discrimination faced by transgender persons in the country.

The Chair said that she would welcome information on the measures taken to amend article 9 of the Civil Code, which established guardianship systems that were currently incompatible with international human rights treaties.

A representative of the Republic of Korea said that the Government was developing indicators to evaluate women’s re-employment centres and was currently assessing the centres’ impact.

A representative of the Republic of Korea said that, each year, information was collected on the performance of all re-employment centres, including the vocational training and internships provided, and the centres with particularly high performance were identified.

A representative of the Republic of Korea said that the right to equality was guaranteed to all, regardless of gender preferences. Workers could appeal against dismissal from employment when it was carried out on grounds of sexual preference, and corrective measures were ordered if violations were found. Access to medical services was guaranteed for all, including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons.

A representative of the Republic of Korea said that flexible support and assistance was provided to incapacitated persons to allow them to make their own decisions. There were four types of guardianship, which could be applied according to the degree of mental capacity of the ward. The Family Court established adult or limited guardianship with consideration for the ward’s wishes and individual circumstances. It required the guardian to respect the ward’s wishes, provided that doing so was not contrary to the ward’s welfare, and could review the legal powers of the guardian. As such, the guardianship system operated as a supported decision-making system, with respect for the rights, autonomy and preferences of persons with disabilities. Further welfare systems would be developed to provide individualized support and information to persons with disabilities and to help them to understand the consequences of their decisions and to express their wishes.

Ms. de Silva de Alwis said that a historic hearing was currently taking place before the Constitutional Court, in which plaintiffs had argued that the State party must more effectively tackle climate change and protect the human rights of future generations. An ambitious vision for climate change had been backed by the Republic of Korea at the 2023 Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, in Dubai. She wished to know how the Government planned to engage women and girls who were most affected by climate change, including rural women, in climate change plans and how it would mitigate the impact of climate change on such women. She wondered how the economic resources would be redistributed in order to democratize the economy, in line with the provisions of article 1192 of the Constitution, and how rural women, female migrant workers and women with disabilities would benefit from such plans. She was eager to learn whether rural women working in agriculture, offshore and inland fisheries and aquaculture were involved in bilateral cooperation and trade relations; what benefits were provided to female founders of enterprises in rural areas; how the Government planned to address the fact that article 63 of the Labour Standards Act did not include the agricultural industry, of which migrant workers accounted for over 70 per cent of the workforce; whether fisherwomen and rural women would receive assistance under the draft special act on improving the quality of life of farmers and fishermen and promoting the development of rural areas; and what plans of action were in place to protect migrant workers in rural areas.

She wondered how new technologies, and especially assistive technologies, would be employed for women with disabilities and whether the Government planned to harness the country’s technological resources to introduce improved protections for older persons and women with disabilities. the Committee would like to find out what steps would be taken if the Supreme Court, in a case currently before it, ruled that insurance coverage should be provided for same-sex partners. She would like to know whether gender-sensitive policies had been introduced in women’s detention centres, in line with the United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders (the Bangkok Rules) and the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules).

Articles 15 and 16

Mr. Tisheva said that the implementation of the recommendations previously issued by the Committee had been hampered by patriarchal stereotyping and a lack of effective practical mechanisms to ensure gender equality. The patrilineal surname principle was still affirmed in law, despite a Constitutional Court ruling to the contrary, and draft legislation to ensure equality in the family and support family diversity was advancing very slowly. She would like to know if the Government had a timeline for the adoption of laws affirming democratic principles and equitable family relations, for repealing the patrilineal surname principle and for protecting and registering non-marital cohabitation partnerships, including between same-sex couples. Noting the problem of inequality of marital property upon dissolution of unions, the uneven division of parental responsibilities and unequal access to divorce owing to the application of a mandatory reconciliation procedure, she said that she would like to know more about the discussions held at the expert and societal levels aimed at achieving social consensus on measures to remedy those legal shortcomings, and whether the Government would adopt a law removing the requirement for mediation and reconciliation in family law cases involving domestic violence.

The Committee had received reports that the failure to pay child support was exceptionally widespread. Did the Government plan to adopt a law to establish a system whereby the State would pay advance child support in such cases? Did it plan to take concrete steps to regulate, monitor and supervise marriage brokers who arranged for foreign women, most of whom came from China, Thailand, Viet Nam and the Philippines, to marry male citizens of the country? She noted reports that such marriages had a high incidence of domestic violence. How many cases had been referred in the past year to the specialized centres set up for the victims of such violence? What would the Government do to better ensure the equal rights of such women in marriage and to protect their rights, and those of their children, in the event of divorce or a return to their country of origin? She invited the State party to consider the introduction of universal birth registration, with a view to ensuring the rights of all children, in all situations.

A representative of the Republic of Korea said that, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of beneficiaries of the job stabilization fund had increased in recent years, and that the overwhelming majority had reported satisfaction with the fund’s support. The income gap between workers with low wages and those in higher brackets had decreased.

A representative of the Republic of Korea said that the Ministry of Health and Welfare had since 2022 conducted medical examinations to screen female farmers between the ages of 51 and 70 for occupational illnesses such as musculoskeletal dysfunction, respiratory problems, the effects of heat and stress at work and pesticide poisoning. The Ministry also held educational activities to inform women farmers in rural areas about occupational illness prevention and ways to deal with the effects of climate change.

A representative of the Republic of Korea said that the Support for Female Farmers and Fishers Act and other laws included provisions aimed at improving the status and skills of female members of fishers’ cooperatives. A five-year plan and annual projects along the same lines had been implemented and were subject to monitoring. Since 2021, a Female Fishers Day had been commemorated yearly. The Government had employed gender-equality instructors who specialized in action in the agricultural sector, and it had established health-care outreach, educational and vocational training programmes for female fishers.

A representative of the Republic of Korea said that the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family provided migrant women in rural areas with educational support, including one-to-one mentoring, and that local community engagement activities were carried out to assist in their integration.

A representative of the Republic of Korea said that foreign workers were allowed to freely change their place of employment and that the same labour laws applied to foreigners and citizens. The number of workplace support centres had recently more than doubled. Workplaces that violated workers’ rights were subject to legal action in accordance with the Labor Standards Act, one provision of which made it possible to prohibit companies that violated labour standards from recruiting more foreign workers. Migrant workers’ wages and working conditions were continuously monitored.

A representative of the Republic of Korea said that a court had ruled that same-sex couples must be given the right to benefit from the health insurance system on an equal footing with others. The case was currently pending, on appeal before the Supreme Court.

A representative of the Republic of Korea said that bathroom and shower facilities at correctional institutions housing female inmates were specifically designed to accommodate them and that inmates were provided with feminine hygiene products and other necessities. Female inmates were given pregnancy tests and gynaecological examinations upon entry into the facilities, and pregnant inmates were granted leave when they went into labour. Female and male inmates were held and transported separately to ensure that there was no contact between them. The correctional and other staff working with women inmates were also female. To ensure female inmates’ mental health, counselling was provided to them, and there was the possibility of one-to-one counselling and referral to outside psychologists and psychiatrists, including for inmates facing severe penalties such as a death sentence. Female inmates who wished to remain with their small children in the institutions could do so until the children reached the age of 18 months.

A representative of the Republic of Korea said that, in order to adapt the domestic legal structure so that there would be a legal foundation for different types of families, a number of laws, including the Framework Act on Healthy Homes, would need to be amended. Such a major revision would first require achieving a social consensus on the extension of the meaning of the family; failing that, the mere amendment of the Act would be insufficient. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family had thus concentrated on the provision, through its local family centres, of family-related education and counselling, even to common-law families and families that did not fit into the current legal definition of the family that appeared in the Act. The Ministry also carried out specific activities for single-parent households, grandparent households and families in crisis.

The law on child support payments had been amended in 2015 with the provisions establishing a child support implementation centre. The penalty for failure to pay child support had increased and the rate of payment had risen in the past three years. The system for the enforcement of child support was due to be reviewed again in 2024. In cases involving single parent beneficiaries of child support, the State made preliminary payments and requested reimbursement from the defaulting parent. The Government intended to further develop the prepayment system.

A representative of the Republic of Korea said that discussions were under way in a committee of the National Assembly, with the participation of representatives of the executive and judicial branches, with a view to ensuring the birth registration of foreign children.

A representative of the Republic of Korea said that the Government maintained various counselling and protection centres that operated around the clock for victims of domestic violence, and that treatment and recovery programmes were maintained for the victims and their children, including with the provision of after-school care. One centre, designed specifically for foreign victims, offered comprehensive support, and a hotline for foreign victims of domestic violence maintained foreign-language services. Migrant women who were victims of domestic violence also received psychological, medical, legal and counselling support from migrant support facilities.

A representative of the Republic of Korea said that the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family maintained customized programmes to help migrant women from Viet Nam, the Philippines and Thailand adapt to life in the country. Emergency shelter and support services were provided for victims of domestic violence. Some 230 local family centres supported migrant women with counselling, interpretation, language education and community integration services.

The Government was strengthening its education activities related to international marriage and its supervision of international marriage brokerage services. The agencies in question were subject to inspection by the Ministry and local government bodies, and their advertisements were monitored. Local government officials and international marriage brokers received training in human rights subjects related to international marriage. The Government cooperated with the Government of Viet Nam in operating centres supporting Vietnamese women who had naturalized in the Republic of Korea and who returned to their country of origin.

Under the current law, in the event of dissolution of marriage or of a common law marriage, the property jointly acquired by the husband and wife was divided based on the extent of contribution. Any property whose title was uncertain was presumed to be in their co-ownership. The indirect contribution of a woman to the establishment of ownership was thus recognized.

Ms. de Silva de Alwis said that she would appreciate it if the delegation could provide information in writing on the situation of the country’s sea-diving women in the context of climate change.

Ms. Tisheva said that she would like to know when a system of prepaid child support would effectively be in place and how the State party would organize the consultations necessary for the adoption of changes to the Family Law. Would women’s rights non-governmental organizations be included in the consultations?

A representative of the Republic of Korea said that the National Assembly would have to adopt legislative amendments in order to establish a prepayment system for childcare support and that a timeline for putting it into practice would only be established once the amendment had passed. Answers to the other questions would be provided in writing.

A representative of the Republic of Korea said that, further to the current interactive dialogue, the Government would re-examine its efforts to eliminate gender discrimination, increase women’s participation in economic activities and provide support to victims of discrimination or violence so as to move forward with more advanced policy measures. It would widely disseminate the Committee’s comments and recommendations.

The meeting rose at 5 p.m.